Skylanders: Pure
by CynderFanForever
Summary: With the Skylanders missing and Spyro having been taken by Gaul, Cynder is now alone in a world where darkness is steadily spreading all over. Now she must track down all the other Skylanders and find a way to stop the Ape King and his slave, the undead Violet Dragon Sadiki, from fulfilling a plan that, if finished, will place all of Skylands in jeopardy.
1. Awakening

**Well, here's the first chapter for _Skylanders: Pure_. Before I continue, please note that this story and the in-progress _Skylanders: The Heretic Jewel_ are interconnected, and so there are pieces of that story spoiled throughout this one and some of the others. This story will take place mostly from Cynder's point-of-view, similar to _Dark Warriors_ , though it will switch to Spyro's point-of-view and several of the other characters within the chapters, mostly to give an idea of what they are going through as they view and/or hear of Cynder's journey throughout this story. I have created a playlist for this story, and I will tell you what the songs to listen to at the beginning of the chapters I have considered them the best for. The tracks to listen to for this chapter are "Main Title" and "Naberious Wants It Alive," both found in the score for _I, Frankenstein_ by Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil.**

 **Have a great day, and God bless!**

* * *

 **Chapter One:**

 **Awakening**

 _The memories flashed through her mind:_

 _Spyro on the ground, wounded after having been hit by Kaos with a ball of energy. His ribs having been revealed to be broken, blood on his body…_

 _Pain spreading through her body as the Dark Magic possessed by Malefor took over everything, from her thoughts to her emotions, to her movements. She could hear herself screaming, only a hatchling, the voice of the Ape King and Aemus echoing around Malefor's distorted, demonic tone…_

 _Her realization that Spyro was not her true enemy, that she had been under Malefor's control for fourteen years…_

 _The pain that she'd felt as Deathmatch beat her, wanting answers that she never gave, even though the Dark Elf had told the Skylanders otherwise…_

 _The day Spyro gained his Dark form, as a result of the Heretic Jewel and the Shadow Golem Zelophehad, having used that evil form to defend an injured Cynder, whose shoulder had been dislocated, from him…_

 _The price she'd paid to Kaos to stop his attack on the Ruins…_

 _Her battle against her friends and allies twice, first in Convexity, then again at the Ruins, with Malefor and Kaos behind it both times…_

 _Her battles against Aemus, and when the both of them had faced their kingdom come, when she'd been so badly wounded that she could have died at any given moment, with his Ice-covered claws having been swept across her chest_

 _Spyro's revelation that he loved her…_

 _…their lifemate ceremony…_

 _"Cynder…"_

Cynder's head shot up. For quite some time, she had no idea where she was, nor what was going on around her. Those thoughts that had plagued her were now only in the recesses of her mind, and she was glad for that.

Then she remember what had happened…

…what Gaul had done.

After escaping from the cult, run by the Grey Wolf Roarke at one time, then by the Maned Wolf known as Karis after Roarke had made one too many mistakes (as said by Sadiki, a traitorous and undead Violet Dragon under the employ of Gaul, the beast who had overtaken the Haven Realms and forced their King, Nestor, into slavery, along with his son Daniel and ally Titan), the Skylanders had stopped Karis, then taken on a Fire Golem sent to kill them.

But Cynder remembered that something had gone wrong, that once they'd destroyed the creature, the resulting blast caused all the Skylanders other than Spyro and Cynder to disappear into parts unknown.

Then Gaul had appeared, taunting them both and forcing them to do battle against him. He'd easily beaten them both somehow, and after nearly knocking her unconscious, he'd taken Spyro and cast a dark spell. Once finished, Cynder fell into unconsciousness.

Now she had awoken, and she had no idea whatsoever about what might be around her.

She was now alone, and even if she could find more of the Skylanders, what condition would they be in?

She was almost too scared to find out.

"Hello?" she called out, though she felt it was a stupid thing to do no matter what powers she possessed. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Different noises seemed to appear from many different directions, including growls, snarls, and even roars.

While it was not something she usually felt, she could not help but think that she was actually afraid at the moment. It was a feeling she had only ever shared with those she truly knew and trusted, and right now, none of them were around here.

At least, that was what she believed, given the circumstances.

 _What was it with the Fire Golem?_ she thought. _Why did everyone just disappear as soon as it was destroyed? What in God's name did Gaul do to it in order for something like that to have happened? I need to get to the bottom of this, and I need to do it quick. But most of all, I need to try and save Spyro._

While he had been taken by Gaul, Cynder believed she would be able to succeed in saving the Dragon she loved. If he risked his life to save her from Malefor, and again from Kaos, then she had to do the same for him. She wouldn't give up until the mission was finally accomplished.

But first, she needed to find shelter, as well as try and figure out where the other Skylanders were.

She took her first step forward, and heard the dry grass crunch under her right paw. She was glad there was no pain in that paw, as there had been before.

She couldn't keep her mind on that for too long, though, because she felt it would stop the process of getting through this…

…what was this place?

While she had seen where Drobot and Flashwing had set up camp for them, she wasn't sure where exactly it was, nor did she know what it was. Was it some kind of valley?

A growl reached her ears, and she whirled around to find a Woodland Devil standing there. She smiled at it, knowing she could easily take it down. In fact, she had been able to take down about six or seven of them—she couldn't automatically remember how many it had been back at the cult—and if she could do that, then she believed she could do this.

"You think you're scary?" she asked the creature, whose red eyes were blazing with a fury she had only ever seen in rabid animals, as well as Malefor, Aemus, and Gaul. "I've killed worse than you, and if I can take them down, then I should be able to do that same to you!"

Almost in response to her words, the Woodland Devil lunged. Cynder released a current of sapphire-colored Electricity at it. The current hit the creature in the chest, but it was not enough to kill it.

As soon as it hit the ground, it got right back up. Cynder prepared herself for the next part of their fight…

…only for an explosion to appear behind her. This caught her off-guard, and the Woodland Devil, which had been seemingly unfazed by this, took advantage of the situation. Cynder performed her Shadow Dash, but she was not quick enough to stop the Woodland Devil from scratching her left flank with its long claws.

When she appeared behind it, she grimaced. But she would not let that stop her, as she did not let it stop her during her battle with Aemus.

So, while she originally had not wanted to kill the creature, she breathed another current, which burned a hole through the Woodland Devil's chest as it turned around.

With her opponent now dead, Cynder sighed and looked at her wound. She found three long slices in her left flank, and as she touched them gingerly, she found they hurt terribly.

"Condemn it!" she said as she touched them. Trying to not keep her mind on it all for long, she walked over to the source of the explosion, finding remains of a stick of dynamite. Her eyes widened as she realized it was one of those that had belonged to the Troll Skylander Boomer. She found that she was happy she'd not been lying too close to the stick. All the same, it had caused the scars on her left flank.

But when she found him, she would not blame him, as he had likely dropped it when he'd suddenly disappeared. Where he had gone, she was not sure. But she would make sure she would find out.

Looking around, she found a thick spider-web in a tree, and she grabbed it as quickly as possible. As spider-webs were rich in Vitamin K, a natural clotting vitamin, it was good for the wounds she had received. Pressing it to her wound, she sighed as she felt blood welling from the scars.

After a few moments of applying this pressure, she looked down and found the bleeding had stopped. At least, for the moment.

But she was sure it wouldn't be long until her scars were bleeding again. This meant she needed to find a more permanent way to treat her wounds. _If only Stealth Elf or Cali were around here,_ she thought. _If only all of them were around here. I wish Spyro were here especially, because I could really use help right about now._

She reached out her mind and tried to find Spyro's consciousness, but couldn't find anything. She wasn't surprised by this, though, because he was certainly far away from where she stood now. After all, Gaul had kidnapped Spyro and taken him to a place that God only knew. Looking up into the sky, Cynder found lightning flashing across it, and she sighed as the first drops of rain started falling. Looking ahead of herself, she saw a cliff rising high into the sky, illuminated by the lightning. Despite the trouble she knew she'd face, she began her journey, thinking, _God help me._

* * *

Spyro felt pain in the right side of his skull, and for a few moments he wondered whether or not he was dead. He could not remember what had happened to cause him this kind of pain, nor could he remember what had happened before arriving wherever it was that he was now.

But where was he?

That was a question he could not automatically answer. But why was that? Why, it was because he hadn't opened his eyes just yet. He shook his head to clear the fog that had settled over his brain and opened his amethyst eyes to look around himself. He wanted nothing more than for Cynder to be by his side, with the second thing he wanted most being to know where in the name of God he was, and third being what had happened.

Unfortunately, he found that Cynder was not there by his side, and he wondered why that was. That was just as the fog in his brain began to fade, and he now took in the sights around him. He saw an ivory-colored marble floor, as well as onyx walls that seemed to be made of marble, as well. Above him, the ceiling was the same color as the walls. A golden chandelier hung above him, with violet flames sprouting from the wicks protruding from the ghostly-white candles. Other than that, there was no light in the room.

A great wooden door stood before him, and when he looked behind himself, he found a throne…

…and sitting in that throne was Gaul.

Everything came rushing back to him, and he felt great anger at the so-called Ape King.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Gaul. "Where in the name of God am I, and what did you do with Cynder? Where is she?"

"So many questions," Gaul said. He gripped his staff and looked at the green crystal embedded at the top. "So little time." He looked back at Spyro. "She is fine, for the moment. A Woodland Devil attacked and wounded her, so there is that. But I believe she will survive. You can see her progress, as well. Would you like to, young Dragon?"

Spyro glared at Gaul. The Ape King smiled darkly, then held his hand towards a wall off to the left. A projection appeared there, and Spyro saw Cynder, who seemed not to be too badly wounded. He saw the scars on her left flank, and remembering that Gaul had said she'd been wounded by a Woodland Devil, he wondered how that could have possibly happened, as Cynder was not usually surprised in such a way.

Then he remembered something: Cynder had fallen into unconsciousness just as Gaul took him away from her. Either that, or there had been a projection of it that he'd seen after leaving the area. Either way, it did not matter. He knew she had been unconscious, and he guessed the Woodland Devil had surprised her after she'd woken from her forced slumber.

Anger filled him again, directed once more at Gaul. He hated that the Ape King had somehow succeeded in defeating him and the other Skylanders.

That was when another thought hit him: Where had all the other Skylanders gone when the Fire Golem exploded? It seemed as though they'd disappeared, and judging from the projection, it did not seem as though Cynder had met with any of them. It also seemed as though she had not found Hunter or Elora, nor Daniel, with the lattermost having been forced away from the battle with the Fire Golem by his father, the King of the Haven Realms, Nestor. Hunter and Elora, meanwhile, had left to get water for the Skylanders, but had not returned by the time the Fire Golem had appeared. So, where had they gone?

Nestor, Titan (Nestor's closest ally at that time, other than Spyro and Cynder), and Kelyse, the dark-furred Vixen who had been forced to fight in the cult led by the Grey Wolf Roarke along with her brother Belenus.

Roarke had taken Spyro and Cynder into the cult, along with all the other Skylanders, having not known who they were, only believing they would be perfect contenders to fight in his arenas. After participating in several battles against other opponents, Spyro and Cynder had been forced to battle one another. When Spyro would not, he revealed who they were, and what they were there to do.

Unfortunately for Roarke, his superior, the Violet Dragon known as Sadiki, had been behind him. While Sadiki had once been a living Dragon, after being revealed to have betrayed Nestor and allowed Gaul into the Haven Realms, Gaul killed him and then revived him, making him stronger than ever before.

Once everything had been revealed, and Sadiki had taken over, he appointed Roarke's second-in-command, the Maned Wolf Karis as the new leader of the cult. Unfortunately for them, the Skylanders broke out of their cells and staged a revolution, alongside allies such as Hunter and Nestor, Titan, and Daniel, as well as Kelyse and Belenus and a Mountain Troll named Magnhild who had become a good friend of Sonic Boom's.

During their uprising, though, Magnhild and Belenus were both killed, though Cynder killed Roarke (who had escaped the chains he'd no doubt been placed in) before he could kill a distraught Kelyse. At the end of it all, the Skylanders succeeded in escaping despite these devastating losses, and all had been well until the Fire Golem had appeared. Even Karis had been found and killed by Kelyse, along with help from Cynder, Sonic Boom, Whirlwind, Stealth Elf, Hex, and Flashwing.

Spyro took his mind off that to focus on Gaul, who had waited for him to process his thoughts before speaking again. "You are one extraordinary Dragon, Spyro," Gaul said. "I've waited for many years to finally meet you again, and I must admit that I was disappointed when I saw you in such a weakened state. Of course, that was what I waited for. Had you been in your state from when you were battling Cynder, then things might have gone differently."

"What are you going to do with Cynder?" Spyro demanded. "If you so much as lay a finger on her, I'll—"

"You'll what?" Sadiki drawled as he entered the room through the front door. "You'll break out of your chains and attack us?" He threw back his head and laughed. This allowed Spyro to see the place where Gaul had swept his blade across the Violet Dragon's throat. "Oh, you sorry fool. This is why no one in Skylands takes the Skylanders seriously anymore: you all act as though you're the true heroes of Skylands, and when someone challenges you, you go off on this tirade about how you'll harm them if they attempt to harm those you want to save! Don't you realize that only makes us want to do it more? I wish I could help you, but as you can see, I have other matters to attend to, little one. I may have been grateful at one time to have been freed from crystal by you when Gnasty Gnorc attacked, but even you have to understand that individuals—especially Dragons—change over time. As time passes, we all change. Even you have changed. You were only eight when you had to save the five main Dragon Realms, as well as rescue some of us from Gnasty's Gnexus! But I realized you were only doing it because you wanted the fame! You wanted the glory!"

"That's not true, Sadiki," Spyro growled. "And if you weren't this freak in front of me, with a knife having slit his throat, then maybe you would begin to understand some of these things. Instead, you're no more than a lackey without a reason to live."

Sadiki laughed. It was a laugh without any emotion whatsoever, similar to that of a sarcastic laugh. "He knows how to fight," the Violet Dragon said. "Well done, young one. Now, if you excuse me, I have pressing matters that I must attend to."

He left the room, leaving Spyro and Gaul alone once more. "What's he going to do?" Spyro asked the so-called Ape King. "If he dares to harm Cynder, then I'll kill him myself!"

"Of course you will," Gaul said. "I expected nothing more and nothing less from you. But you must understand, you are here, and she is there. If you want to help her, then what you can do is stop attempting to get free. It worked for Cynder once, when that foolish Goblin known as Glumshanks tried to check her neck for chafing. He was told to do so by Malefor, to see what would happen, and she killed him in cold blood. Do you really think you can do the same? You may be powerful, but so long as that chain is around your neck, you cannot use your power. I have complete and utter control of you, and if you step out of line, then you will face the dire consequences that your mate would have experienced had you not freed her! Maybe one day, I could show you how it would have gone, how she would have felt if she'd returned to our castle you tried to save her from. You can try all you want to escape, but if you want to remain alive for you traitorous love when she comes to save you, then I suggest otherwise. I may hate you, Spyro, but I think you might be of use sooner or later. Just remember, though: There is no white bird here."

* * *

Walking up the mountain path, Cynder felt that she was going to collapse very soon. Her legs were wobbling heavily, and if she didn't lay down and try to take a load off, then things were going to get bad pretty quickly.

As she stepped forward, this time finding herself on level ground for the first time in what seemed to be miles, she heard a voice ring out.

"Who's there?" the voice asked. Cynder couldn't tell if it was male or female. "What are you? Where do you come from? Are one of those creatures sent by the Ape King, or are you an ally of the Skylanders?"

"I'm one of the Skylanders," Cynder replied. "I'm…the second-in-command, actually."

A dark light appeared, and due to a shining white aura around it, it glowed luminously. Then the shroud disappeared, and Cynder found Hex floating in front of her. Cynder couldn't help but smile as she saw one of her greatest friends there.

"Hex, thank God!" Cynder gasped. She felt a stitch in her chest, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could continue standing. "Please, I'm exhausted. I need help."

"How do I know it's you?" Hex asked darkly.

"What do you mean?" Cynder asked. "I've known you since I joined the Skylanders. You're my second-in-command in the Undead Element. The first time we met, you asked, 'Who is this?' to Spyro, referring to me. You defeated Malefor, and you helped Spyro defeat him and free me from his control once more in the esoteric Realm of Convexity. Please, Hex, it's me, and I need your help! Where are the other Skylanders? Why is everyone missing? And where are our other allies?"

Hex seemed to examine her just a little more before finally sighing and saying, "I know it's you. There's no need to worry, Cynder." She continued to look Cynder over, and Cynder saw worry appear on her face. This caused Cynder to guess that she'd found the scars. "What happened to you? Did Gaul do that?"

"No," Cynder replied. "A Woodland Devil did. It caught me off-guard as I woke up. Gaul knocked me out, and he took Spyro. But what about you? How are you here, when all the other Skylanders suddenly went missing? None of this is making any sense whatsoever!"

"I know it's not," Hex said. "Come to the cave and we'll discuss it more. There's too much going on currently, and if we tarry any longer, then there might be worse creatures coming along and finding us."

Cynder nodded and walked to her friend. As they made their way up the rocky path, Cynder looked to Hex. "Is Sonic Boom with you?" she asked.

Hex shook her head. "No," she admitted. "I don't know where any of the other Skylanders are currently, besides you. You told me that Spyro is in Gaul's clutches, though. How did that happen?"

"Gaul appeared and confronted us, and then we attempted to fight him. That was exactly what he wanted, though, because we were so exhausted that he was able to gain the upper hand. We lost easily, and I was knocked to the ground. I was awake long enough to see Spyro attempt to protect me, only to be taken away by Gaul. Now I need to find him, save the Skylanders, and stop Gaul once and for all. It won't be easy, though."

"None of this ever is, sadly," Hex lamented. "I've been around long enough to see that life is like a box of chocolates: You never know what you're going to get."

"Where'd you get that from?"

"I just heard it somewhere. It's probably not a popular saying. Anyway, you're in luck, because we're here."

Cynder saw the cave Hex was pointing to, and when she looked within it, she couldn't see anything for a moment or two.

But soon her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she found a dark-furred Vixen laying on the floor of the cave: Kelyse.

"Hex?" Kelyse mumbled sleepily. "Is that you? Did you happen to find—" Her head popped up, and when she saw Cynder, her eyes widened. "Cynder? Oh, thank God! What happened? Where's Spyro?" Then she saw the scars. "And your side! What happened to you?"

"It's a long story," Cynder said. "What about you? Where'd you go after the Fire Golem exploded?"

"After it exploded, one of the pieces was about to crush us," Hex said. "I teleported us out of the way, but something else happened at the same time, and the force of it knocked us unconscious. When we awoke, we found ourselves here in this cave. After a few minutes, I told her I'd go and find out what had happened down where we fought the Fire Golem. I haven't seen any of the other Skylanders just yet."

Cynder sighed. "Crap," she said under her breath. "Well, I guess there's no point in trying to find them right now. I'm too exhausted for any of that, and the longer we stick around here, the worse it'll be, I believe. We should leave in the morning."

"What do you mean?" Kelyse asked. "Leaving in the morning probably isn't the best idea, either. If we stay here that long, then something might just come sniffing along! I don't want to risk something like that, know what I mean?" She looked between Cynder and Hex like they were crazy.

"I'll keep watch," Hex said. "I don't sleep, unlike the two of you. Do you want me to try and heal that for you, though, Cyn? I know one spell that could work on your wound, but I don't think it'll heal it completely."

"Does it look bad, or do you think I'll be able to manage?" Cynder asked.

"I just want to be careful," Hex said. "I've seen those kinds of wounds become infected without much trouble, and if that one does, then I'll never be able to forgive myself. I'm promising here and now that I won't allow you to be wounded. I don't want Spyro to think that I'm some horrible person because his mate was wounded. You were the first real friend I had. While there were others who were kind to me, you were the first one who made it seem to me that there was a such thing as friendship after what Malefor did to me."

Cynder felt truly touched by this. "Thank you," she said. While it was the greatest response to Hex's compliment, she felt it conveyed what it needed to. At the moment, Cynder could not think of all the words that would go into a lengthy and appreciative word of thanks. "If you want, then try it. I just hope it works."

"So do I," Hex said. "It's unfortunate we don't have Cali here."

That was what caused Cynder's eyes to widen. "Whatever happened to Cali? She was never among us during our escape."

"That's because she got on another ship before Spyro and them reached the Maradmtsvane," Hex explained. "Sunburn told me that. I don't know where she might have gone, but I do know we could use her and Stealth Elf. Now, turn towards me with your wound facing me. Just remember, this might be really painful. But do know that this will hurt me more than it hurts you."

Cynder did as she was asked, and she felt Hex's magic beginning to work. A yellowish glow emanated from her hands, and all Cynder could do was grimace as skin seemed to grow over the scars.

It was not an easy thing to deal with, as it felt like someone was stretching the skin and as though a scab was being peeled off..

But after what seemed like a long while, the pain lessened, and Cynder couldn't help but sigh with relief. She looked at where the wound had been and found that it was slightly healed, though the scars were still there.

"That's as much as I could do, Cyn," Hex told her. "I'm sorry. I wanted to do more, but I just can't. I think it has something to do with the Woodland Devil's abilities. Those kinds of creatures are imbued with a Magic that many of us don't fully understand."

"I get that," Cynder said. She sighed once more. "I'm not sure how much more I'm going to be able to deal with this. That's saying something, though, because I don't think this journey has even begun."

"When a journey begins, there's always going to be a great deal of pain involved," Hex said. "I've known that for such a long time, and now that everyone else knows how I feel, I'm not completely sure I want to see them in that state. It's just not right."

"You both have obviously known each other for quite some time," Kelyse said. "How long, would you say?"

"Ever since Cynder came to the Skylanders," Hex explained. "That was almost four years ago now. Ever since we met, we knew there was a friendship. However, I wasn't used to having friends, especially not since my battle against the demonic Purple Dragon Malefor. He was my greatest enemy, as well as the greatest enemy of both Spyro and Cynder. If it hadn't been for me, though, he might have attempted to go after Cynder again."

"What?" Kelyse said. "I've heard of Malefor before, but what does he have to do with Cynder?"

"I was corrupted by him," Cynder said. She felt that she didn't want to go into this territory, but she found the explanation needed for it was helping her to feel sleepier than she had before. "I was his servant for fourteen years, until Spyro found me and saved me from him. By that time, he'd already been a well-known hero in the Dragon Realms, as well as the Realms of Avalar and the Forgotten Worlds. But he helped me—he saved me—and even though Malefor escaped—injuring me in the process—he was able to get me back to who I was supposed to be. When he found me again a while later in that bar, he offered me the chance to be a Skylander. I took it, even though I thought it was all a sham at first. I mean, who would want me, the Black Dragoness known as the Terror of the Skies? But when I arrived, I found no one knew who I truly was—or who they might have believed me to be. Despite the amount of times I doubted myself, Spyro stood by me, and I met a great deal of new friends, including Hex, Sonic Boom, and the others. Some of my greatest friends didn't come until later, of course, but even then, I've gained many along the way, and if I had to go through all I have to get to this point, then I'd happily do it again. Spyro helped me through some of my darkest times, along with all of them. Hex was a good friend of mine, too, and she still is, because we've both had experience with what Malefor can do to someone, along with Spyro. I would never trade in my friends. That's one of the reasons why I'm here: I need to find them all and help them. I don't know where they are, but that doesn't matter. What matters most is saving them." She found a tear had escaped her right eye, and she wiped it away, turning to Hex and Kelyse. "I also need to find Spyro, and I need to save him. With your help, if I can do this…if I can accomplish this mission, then I can repay everyone. Not everyone has offered me kindness, but I can still offer them that. It's not good to hold grudges, and I won't no matter what. My hate towards Gaul isn't a grudge, it's something that has to do with the pain he caused me and all those I love. If I can stop him, then everything will be back to the way it once was." She looked to Hex and Kelyse. "Are you with me?"

Hex nodded. "Yes," she merely said.

"Always," Kelyse replied, smiling.

Cynder smiled, then lay on the floor of the cave. She curled up and prepared to sleep. "Wake me at first light," she said to Hex.

Then, though it wasn't easy, she felt into a deep sleep.

Unfortunately, nightmares ravaged her sleep, showing her images of meat-hooks, bloody claws, and Gaul himself. She wanted to scream, but stopped herself from doing so.

Soon she felt herself being shaken awake, and when she opened her eyes, she found Kelyse.

Sunlight streamed into the cave.

"It's time," the Vixen said.

Though unwilling, Cynder got up and prepared herself for what they were about to face.


	2. Day One

**Hey, everyone. I'm glad to be back, and here's chapter two. Throughout the beginning of this chapter, please listen to the track "Dust" from the _Interstellar_ film score by Hans Zimmer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two:**

 **Day One**

As she stepped out of the cave, the sun entered her eyes, momentarily blinding her. Instead of rubbing her eyes to make the blindness go away, which she found made things worse, she just waited for her eyes to adjust to the brightness, which took about another minute or two.

"What time is it?" she asked Kelyse.

"About two hours after dawn," Hex answered before the Vixen could. "I would have let you sleep a little longer, given your exhausted look. But if we get moving, then we can probably find our way to the first of the smaller Realms that come before the Haven Realms. Hopefully, we can find some of the other Skylanders before any of this gets worse."

Cynder nodded, and then winced as she felt pain where the scars were. Though she worked through this, it was no easy task. But she got through it, and eventually, after yawning and stretching a little more and concentrating on something else other than the pain, she was ready to go.

"All right, then," she said. "I'm ready to go."

"Good, because so am I," Hex said.

"As am I," Kelyse said.

The three of them made their way out of the cave.

The sunlight no longer blinded Cynder, and the warmth it gave off made her feel better.

It made her feel as though there was still hope left in the world, even though everything seemed dark at the moment.

"What's the Realm that you were mentioning, Hex?" Kelyse asked.

"Well, there's more than just one, and they're all connected in some way," Hex explained. "If we hurry, we should reach the Fire Realm within a few days." Cynder looked over at her and opened her mouth to speak, but Hex stopped her from saying anything. "I know how much you want to get to Spyro, but the truth is that we have problems with getting there. Do you even know where Gaul is right now?"

"If he overtook Nestor, then my guess is that he's in the Epíneio Realms," Cynder said. "I haven't been to that castle before, but I know of it. The unfortunate thing is, even if I get close to it, I can't just reach out with my mind and talk to Spyro. Gaul could possibly sense us if I were to do that."

"Okay, well, if that's the case, then we can't just go straight there, either. If we're to take Gaul by surprise, then the easiest way this can be done is by going through all the Realms, starting with the Fire Realm. I know the way to the Haven Realms, so I know what I'm talking about. But we need to continue to tread carefully. I wouldn't be surprised if he's found a way to watch us even now. But as we travel through the other Realms, my Magic will be able to take over, and we'll be able to shield ourselves from his gaze."

"Good idea," Cynder said. "It's not the one I want to take, but I also realize I can't get what I want. At the same time, though, there are things I want that I know I can get. They're also things we all need to have."

"You're meaning the other Skylanders?" Kelyse said.

"Yes. We need to find them before something bad happens to all of them. I have no idea what Gaul has done with them, but having served under that Demon Ape for so long has allowed me the chance to know what he thinks at times. He's certainly changed, and I didn't get to know everything, but that doesn't mean we don't have some kind of a surprise in store for him."

"You certainly know how this needs to work," Hex said. "Let's just hope everything we want comes true. I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but that sounds like a daunting task, don't you think?"

"We've had more daunting, though," Cynder said, "like taking down Zelophehad and Aemus, among others. The world's a daunting place, but we can find ways to overcome it."

Hex nodded. "I'm with you, through the end," she said. "Though there are a great many ways to die, that doesn't mean I won't follow you to Gaul and help you take him down."

"Agreed," Kelyse said, "although, I really hope I don't die at the same time."

Cynder smiled at this, feeling good enough to continue walking and act as though nothing was truly wrong. Of course, that wasn't at all true, but she found that the only way she would be able to get through all of this was to be optimistic. Without that optimism, she would fall into some kind of a depression that would stop her from truly achieving her goals.

 _I won't let that happen, though,_ she thought. _I've been through a lot, and there are many times I want nothing more than to curl up into a ball and forget these missions I've been a part of, to forget what I've had to go through. But if I were to forget all of those moments, then I would never had been able to meet all the amazing people in Skylands. Now, it's my turn to find the rest of the Skylanders and get them to help me take down Gaul and all others who might oppose us._

The three of them walked through the grass, not looking back at the cave in which Cynder had recovered for the time-being after the Woodland Devil had attacked her. Those creatures wouldn't be able to surprise her again, she believed. She'd experienced far worse.

"Did you ever think you would be doing something like this?" Kelyse asked.

"No," Cynder said. "I was hoping we could just go home and act like none of the rest of this had happened. But those dreams were shattered, and because of that, I'm going to do everything I can to end Gaul, even if it kills me. He took the love of my life away, and that was a fatal mistake. It's time he knows my pain."

They reached a spot where they were able to overlook the valley that lay before them. Cynder saw green, rolling hills, lakes and rivers, and mountains in the distance. It was a beautiful sight that almost made her smile.

But everything that had happened stopped that smile from occurring.

"I wish we could look at this sight forever," Kelyse said. "It almost reminds me of home."

"Your home was like this?" Cynder asked.

"Yes. It was a beautiful place, but when I was taken from there, I didn't think I would ever again see it. This is as close as I have ever come."

"Where is it that you came from?"

"A land known as Vraal. It was beautiful, and I wish you could have seen it. I've no idea what it looks like now."

Cynder thought about this and couldn't help but feel sorry for Kelyse. She had never had a home she could remember before coming with Spyro to the Ruins and becoming not only a Skylander, but also his mate. In a way, like Kelyse, she had been taken from her home, but unlike the Vixen, she had at least found a new one.

Maybe she could help Kelyse find a new one when this was over.

"The valley is beautiful, but this is no time to admire it," Hex said. "We need to get moving. I have a feeling that we're being watched somehow, although I do not know how. If my hunch is correct, then Gaul is able to see our every move."

"That's not good," Cynder said.

"You can say that again," Kelyse agreed.

And so, despite the fact she wanted to stay where she was and look over this beautiful place even more, Cynder moved onward with Hex and Kelyse.

They hurried down the mountain. Cynder found she was still tired, but even though she believed her body needed sleep, she forced herself to continue. If she couldn't handle a lack of sleep, then she wouldn't be able to handle the quest that was on the horizon.

Among the many things she needed to do included finding the rest of the Skylanders, finding out where Gaul was at that moment, and saving Spyro from the Ape King's clutches.

She already knew it wouldn't be easy, but Cynder believed it would be worth it in the end. She wanted her mate back so badly. She wanted to curl up next to him and feel him caress her cheek and kiss her forehead and tell her that he loved her just before she fell asleep.

A smile crept across her face as she thought about that, but it disappeared as she reminded herself what danger he was in at that moment—as well as the danger they were currently in.

Once at the bottom of the mountain, she saw Hex look up into the sky. "We have a good wind," she said. "If we hurry, then we can find somewhere to camp by nightfall. Once we do that, then we can formulate a plan."

They started running. Cynder did not feel pain from the scars, and she believed they would heal very quickly thanks to Hex's Magic.

 _If I were to fly, then I could experience the wind, as well, and that would allow me to be able to see where the Fire Realm would be. I realize that, if it's the Fire Realm, then there will be ash on the breeze. I could use that to my advantage._

She relayed this to Hex, who nodded.

"That might work in our favor," she said. "I may know most of the way, but even I need to check my direction every once in a while."

Cynder nodded, opened her wings, and took flight. As she rose into the air, she felt free again. She felt as though there were no problems whatsoever. While that was far from the truth, this allowed her to feel like all her problems had gone away.

Once far up into the sky, she surveyed their surroundings, and at the same time, smelled the air as the breeze drifted past.

Far across the valley, she noticed what looked to be a great, dark shroud that encompassed a part of the land there. Cynder smelled burning, though it was faint, and knowing the smell of ash, she knew what she had found.

Once there in the Fire Realm, though, they would need to be careful. There would be a great many creatures that would pose a threat to them.

Including Fire Golems.

Memories of the Fire Golem they had fought just before the disappearance of the Skylanders flooded her brain. That had also been just before Gaul had appeared.

She wondered how and why the Skylanders had disappeared when they destroyed the Fire Golem, too. She guessed it had something to do with Dark Magic, which Gaul was known for. After all, he had served, like her and Aemus, under Malefor.

Flying back downward, she found Hex and Kelyse looking up at her with expectant expressions. "Well?" Hex said.

"There's definitely ash on the wind," Cynder reported. "And there's the big shroud of what looks to be the ash I'm smelling far ahead of us. It's still a good ways away, but we should be able to hit it by late tomorrow or early morning the next day, if we hurry."

"Sounds good," Hex said.

"Well, at least we have a beautiful view until we get there," Kelyse said. "I don't think I could ask for more in that case."

"I agree," Cynder said. "I think my only problem here will be trying to find the other Skylanders. The fact they're all missing still horrifies me. Not only that, but until we save Spyro, I'm the leader of the Skylanders."

"You're a perfect leader, though," Hex said.

"Thank you, Hex, but I'm still worried about how everything's going to turn out." Cynder looked up at her. "I've never had to deal with something like this before."

This was the last thing any of them said for a while, as Cynder could not think of another subject for them to discuss, and it seemed Hex and Kelyse weren't in the mood to talk, either.

Soon enough, after walking for a while, the sun was high in the sky, signifying that it had at least reached noon. The sun was warm, though not too warm. Had it been any time before her final battle with Aemus, the sun would have been even more welcome in her life due to her lack of body heat at the time.

But now it was back, and so, if she felt the sun's warmth for too long, then she would begin to sweat a great deal.

She guessed that was just how those things worked.

A sound reached Cynder's ears, and she looked around for its source. She took a few steps forward and heard the sound intensify.

"What is it, Cyn?" Hex asked.

"I hear something," Cynder said. "Do you?"

"Now that you mention it, yes," Hex said. "It sounds like it's coming from just over that hill."

"Let's go check it, then. But remember: be on your guard. We have no idea if Gaul has his soldiers ready to find us or not, and I don't want to go through another battle so soon. However, we might have to. So be ready."

Hex and Kelyse both nodded, and Cynder hurried towards the sound. There was a hill just ahead of her, and she started climbing it.

When she had reached the top, she looked down and found the source of the noise. She had known it sounded familiar, but she hadn't been able to place it at first.

Now that she saw it, she felt some form of happiness.

"It's a river!" she announced. "Of course it is, we're in a valley. This means we can replenish ourselves before we continue!"

"Great," Kelyse said with a smile. "I'm both thirsty and hungry. Now if we could only find something to eat."

"I can't help you there," Hex said, "but I do have a few flasks that we can fill with water and save for later."

"Where'd you get the flasks?" Kelyse inquired.

"I found them a few days ago while we were in the cult, and before we started out this morning, I made sure to clean them out," Hex explained. "They had alcohol in them beforehand, judging by the smell."

Reaching the river, Hex conjured the two flasks and handed them to Kelyse, who started filling them. Cynder, meanwhile, leaned down and began drinking from the rushing waters. She felt the cool liquid run down her parched throat, and she couldn't help but sigh with relief once she had raised her head.

"This is great," she said.

"How long will we have to wait for another river or other water source?" Kelyse asked.

"A good ways away," Hex said. "I can conjure water with my Magic, but in the Fire Realm, a spell like that can be a lot harder. I've seen water evaporate in midair when performing that spell in extremely warm areas."

Kelyse nodded. "Understandable. I just needed to be sure, though."

She leaned down next to Cynder and filled the flasks, drinking from the one in her left hand, refilling it, and drinking again. She repeated this another two times. After refilling it once more, she handed the other flask to Hex.

"Let's move on," Cynder said when they had finished.

* * *

Spyro opened his eyes. He had surprisingly not experienced a nightmare, despite the current circumstances he knew both he and Cynder were in, but that didn't mean there wasn't a sense of dread when he finally realized where he was.

"Awake, I see," Gaul said from his throne. "Amazing."

"What's amazing about that?" Spyro demanded in a venomous tone. "It's just me waking up."

"I watched you as you slept, and it was amazing that you did not experience the signs of a nightmare throughout your slumber," Gaul explained. "I would have thought, with what your 'mate' is going through, you would be more worried for her. As a result, I would have believed your dreams involve her in the gravest of dangers."

"Well, I didn't," Spyro growled. "I know Cynder better than you ever did, and I know she'll be able to handle this situation, no matter what you throw at her."

"You think so? Hm, we'll get to that." As Gaul spoke those words, Spyro noticed a similarity between how he spoke and how Malefor had spoken. A smirk crossed his face.

"I see you're trying to act like your 'master,'" he said, placing the same emphasis on "master" as Gaul had on "mate" so as to make it sound as if Gaul didn't really follow the Dark Master. "That won't help you much in the end, though. Aemus did the same, and during that final battle, he became obsessed with the Darkness within Cynder's body, placed there by Malefor himself. That was what led to his downfall, and I am sure that will be your downfall, as well."

"A good theory," Gaul commended. "You are not as daft as I have heard from others. But you are not so smart, either."

"No, he's not," a voice drawled, and Spyro turned his head to see the doors leading out into the hall open. Sadiki entered, the undead Violet Dragon staring darkly at him. "You have proven that you depend too much on this…mate of yours." He spoke "mate" with great disgust. Spyro was surprised there was any emotion in his voice, given that he was undead. "She betrayed us and joined you only because of her blind belief in what you call love."

"Love is real," Spyro said calmly. "Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it isn't there. Sadly, it looks as though you'll never understand what love is ever again."

Sadiki growled and stomped over to Spyro. He flexed his claws, but Gaul spoke before he could try anything.

"Sadiki, stop!" he commanded. "Go get the prisoners!"

In response to this, Sadiki made a hissing noise, then turned and walked out, leaving Spyro alone with Gaul yet again.

"You've taught him a little more, I see," Spyro observed. "I wonder how that was possible."

"Skill."

Spyro laughed at Gaul's response for a reason he did not know.

All that mattered to him right now was getting out of here, and he realized laughing at Gaul was not going to help him at all.

"You can laugh all you want, but it will not help you in the end," Gaul snapped. "Soon you will know what it means to lose something you truly love. Cynder will be the example of this."

 _I know he's not bluffing,_ Spyro thought. _He'll do all he can to harm her, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. I want to be there by her side and defend her from whatever harm comes her way. I vowed to protect her from all harm when the battle with Aemus was over, and I did well for a time. But now, she's in greater danger, and she's already been wounded. He's not going to stop until he's taken Cynder away from me._ He felt as though there was a vise gripping his chest. _Cyn, please be safe._

Silence filled the room again, and it lasted for a long while. Spyro wondered where Gaul had sent Sadiki.

Then footsteps and the sound of something being dragged across the stone floor appeared, and Spyro noticed that, given the sound it made as it was dragged, it had to be something metal.

The doors opened again, and Sadiki walked in once more. Soldiers entered, as well, dragging in two cages.

"Welcome, prisoners," Gaul announced. "I believe you know my other guest."

As the cages were dragged to a spot between where Spyro was chained and where Gaul sat, they were turned around. Inside, Spyro found Merissa, the mate of Nestor, and who could only be the daughter of Nestor, Juniper.

"Spyro!" Merissa gasped as she beheld him. "What are you doing here?"

"He is my prisoner now," Gaul told her. "I defeated him and brought him here. I also defeated his fellow Skylanders and his mate, and now he will watch as she tries to find them. I can already say that she will not succeed."

"You shouldn't underestimate Cynder like that," Spyro said. "Aemus did the same exact thing, and that resulted in his downfall and his death. Do you know how he died, exactly?" Looking right at Gaul, he saw a growl form on the Ape King's lips. "Even though he harmed Cynder to the point where her already-broken leg could only be dragged behind her, even though she had thrown up a pool of blood, Aemus became infatuated with the Darkness inside her. We both know Malefor put it there, that it was what he had used to corrupt and control her. He took it out of her using a crystal containing Malefor's energy and tried to take it for his own. But Cyn destroyed it, and then used her Electricity to destroy him. She is amazing, even if you don't want to admit it."

"It does not matter what she was able to do in the past!" Gaul roared. "She will not be able to repeat her past successes! She is no more than a freak!"

Spyro smiled. "You can call her that all you want. But she has gotten past that term, and now she will come here and destroy you."

"Let her, and we shall see." With that, Gaul looked to Merissa. "You wonder why you are here, don't you?"

"I do," Merissa said. "Surely it wasn't just to listen to Spyro, was it?"

"No. I wanted to let you know of the stakes that are now raised. If his mate does not come within the next two weeks, then you will have no other choice than to see your daughter die!" Spyro's smile was gone in an instant as his eyes widened in shock and horror. He looked to Merissa, who looked back at him with sorrow. "Soon enough, we will see if Cynder is truly as 'amazing' as Spyro believes she is."

"You can't do this!" Spyro shouted. "How can you do something like this? There's no reason to bring a child into this!"

"I've brought you into this, haven't I?" Gaul snapped back. "You will see if Cynder can do as much as you believe she can. When she fails, I will be here to gloat…and then I will kill the King's little girl, as well as you." Gaul then stood and walked out of the room, Sadiki following him. "I will return."

When he was gone, Spyro looked to Merissa with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"You cannot blame yourself, Spyro," Merissa said. "I know you didn't mean for this to happen. You have proven yourself time and time again to be one of the greatest heroes of the Realms."

"Mother," Juniper said. "I do not want to die."

"You won't," Merissa assured her. "You will not die! Not if I have anything to say about it!" She turned her attention back to Spyro. "Gaul has been trying to break us down and give up hope, and he has nearly succeeded with Juniper, unfortunately. I've been able to resist, but I have experience."

Spyro nodded. "I've seen Nestor," he said. "He was there in the cult that I and the rest of the Skylanders infiltrated so we could save those who didn't wish to fight. Gaul put him there, likely to stop him from causing anymore trouble."

"How is he?"

"He was wounded pretty good, but those who wounded him were forced to do so, because of this Grey Wolf called Roarke. But we had a plan to escape. It didn't come to fruition before Cynder and I were forced to battle each other, though. We 'fought' for as long as we could without hurting each other, but I stopped it just a little after because I knew we couldn't keep doing it. I stood up for her, and we were taken to a compound to wait. Sadiki appeared, and that was when it was revealed Gaul had a hand in how the cult was run. We escaped, killing Roarke and his second-in-command Karis during and after the escape, respectively, though we lost a few allies."

"How did you come to be here?" Merissa asked.

"We had to fight a Fire Golem, and we succeeded, but then it blew up, and when the explosion subsided, I found that only Cynder and I were still where we had decided to camp. Even Nestor, Daniel, Titan, and a few of our other allies were missing. Gaul appeared, and we fought, but Cynder was nearly knocked out, and when I tried to defend her, Gaul took hold of me and brought me here. Somewhere along the line, I was knocked out, because I woke up here a little while later. Now Gaul is somehow monitoring Cynder, and he's forced me to watch. So far, she's been wounded by a Woodland Devil, but she's okay, and she's found one of our fellow Skylanders and an ally from the cult. But that's all I know."

"And you really think she can help us?"

"I do. I've known her for long enough that I believe she will come here and end Gaul. If I can trust her to become my mate and love me as much as I love her, then I trust her when it comes to this."

"But she won't help us," Juniper muttered. Spyro was barely able to hear her.

"What makes you say that?" Spyro asked.

"Because she won't!" Juniper said. "You have no reason to believe in her! You made the wrong decision when it came to choosing your mate!"

Spyro looked to Merissa. The older Dragoness sighed and stared at him with sorrow.

"I'm sorry, Spyro," she said. "We've gone through a lot recently, and I think it has altered Juniper's mind some."

"No, it does not," Juniper retorted. "I know what I am saying! I cannot believe you trusted Cynder, despite everything that she did!"

"I trust her because she was never evil to begin with!" Spyro said angrily. He tried to calm himself down so that he didn't come off as a horrible person to Juniper. "Look, I know she did a lot when she was younger, but the truth is that she was under Malefor's corruption at the time, and she never meant for any of that to happen to begin with." He inhaled and exhaled several times so that he could calm down. "I'm sorry if I just said something wrong, but I needed to get that off my chest."

"I understand," Merissa said. "As I said, we've gone through a great deal. After taking Nestor, Daniel, and Titan from us, we were brought to the dungeon, where he began a series of mind games. I was able to get through most of it, but I don't think Juniper was able to get through it quite as well."

"No," Juniper said. "I wasn't. I'm sorry, but my mind has been tampered with, and now I don't know what to think anymore!" Tears escaped her eyes. "I can't think clearly without Gaul's words forcing themselves into my brain! I don't know what to do!"

"He told us lies such as, 'Your mate only feels sorry for you, and that is why he is with you,' or, 'Your child has no reason to live.' Some of them were horrible, some of them sounded more like a child's way of picking on you while you attended school. In the end, his words had an impact, and we haven't been the same since it began."

"I still can't believe Gaul has been able to do all this," Spyro said. "Cynder wasn't sure what had happened to him, and so we decided he wasn't too much of a threat. In truth, I could have prevented some of this from happening. Nestor was forced to write that letter. He included several spelling errors, and Cynder was smart enough to figure out the mistakes spelled out Gaul's name. I should have looked closer and seen it. But that's also why I have Cynder check through most of the letters we've written, and while she was recovering from her wounds, a fellow Skylander and good friend of ours named Flashwing."

"What could you have done with the knowledge that Gaul was here, though?" Merissa asked.

"I could have brought all the Skylanders with me, and we might have been able to take him on together. I think I was just so worried about letting Cynder be injured again that I decided it was better if she didn't come with me at all. But she ended up with me again no matter what, so that didn't matter."

None of the three of them spoke again for the next few minutes. For Spyro, it just didn't feel right to do so. Merissa and Juniper needed time to figure everything out. If he spoke again, then he felt he would accidentally ruin the moment mother and daughter could share.

"We need to get out of these cages," Merissa said.

"But how?" Juniper replied.

"I'll do all I can to help you," Spyro said. "But we won't be able to do too much until the others get here."

Before Merissa could respond, the doors opened yet again.

"It is time for you two to return to the dungeons," he announced. "I believe you've had enough time to speak. I pray you didn't say anything that could incriminate you, however, because I will be checking your minds later."

Spyro saw Merissa's eyes were filled with anger as she stared at the Ape King.

He felt the same, but he did not want it to be shown on his face for right now.

It could result in torture, which he did not want.

Soldiers entered the room again, and Gaul directed them to the cages.

The soldiers grabbed them and started dragging them away.

As they left his sight, Spyro saw Merissa look at him with now-hopeful eyes.

"You have proven yourself in the past," Gaul said. "I do not know how you will succeed now, however."

"What do you mean?" Spyro was now very confused, and a small pang of fear reached into his heart.

"I will do all I can to destroy your resolve. You will see soon learn how much pain you can take. If you survive, then you will have surprised me. But if not, then I will have the chance to tell Cynder that you were far weaker than she ever imagined."

Spyro growled. "That won't happen. When she comes for me, I'll be the exact way she remembered. And when she comes, you're going to see just how mistaken you really are."

Gaul sat in the throne and watched Spyro as he just lay there. It was almost as if he had accepted the lie of being saved by the Black Dragoness that had betrayed Malefor.

"You are delusional," Gaul finally said. "You have tried for so long to be the savior these Realms need, but you cannot bring yourself to say that there is darkness all around! You've tried to dispel it, but you have only allowed it to grow!"

"What are you talking about?"

Almost as soon as he had said that, Spyro grasped exactly what had been meant.

"You know. Your darkest form. The one you call 'Dark Spyro.'"

"That form will never again see the light of day, no matter what it is you do," Spyro said defiantly. "I won't be bogged down by your words. I may be physically chained, but in my mind, I am free. There's nothing you can do that will change that."

Gaul made some kind of guttural noise, and then stormed out, leaving Spyro alone once again.

 _I've been able to get on his nerves, exactly what I want,_ he thought, a smile crossing his face. It disappeared as he realized how much danger Cynder was in now. _I pray that she isn't forced to experience threats that even the Skylanders as a whole would find difficult to battle. There are only three of them right now, and that leads me to wonder yet again where the rest of them are. The Skylanders have to be found, and they'll have to stand together. Gaul has an army, but when the Skylanders are altogether, then they're an army, as well. When that army is brought together, then we cannot be stopped._

Thinking about this made him happy again, not only because of the idea that the Skylanders would be able to take Gaul down, but also because of Cynder. She was so beautiful, so amazing. He knew that, if there was anyone that could come here and take down Gaul, then it would be her. She had already fought against many of Skylands' worst enemies, including Kaos, Malefor, and Aemus, and while most of the battles had ended with her receiving some kind of a wound, it had all be worth it.

 _She'll come, and she'll it it. We'll all be free. She can do it, because I have faith in her. I definitely married her for how beautiful she was, but also because she was smarter and more powerful than I could have ever thought. Without her, I think the Skylanders might have faced a loss. While she once went without the recognition she deserved, everyone knows just how powerful she is. That will be what helps her in bringing them to this castle, what helps her to destroy Gaul and end his reign of terror._ As his thoughts over the subjected finished, he couldn't help but sigh again. _Just be safe, Cyn._

* * *

Back in the valley, they were now back on their way towards the Fire Realm. While she walked, Cynder could not help but think about the state her mate was currently in, and she hoped Gaul would go without hurting him.

But knowing Gaul, that likely would not happen.

 _I pray that you remain safe Spyro, and be patient,_ she thought. _We're coming for you._


	3. Helping a Friend

**For the fight scene in this chapter, please listen to the tracks "Feral Tween" from the _Logan_ film score and "Attack of the Chimera" from the _Wrath of the Titans_ film score by Marco Beltrami and Javier Navarrete, respectively.**

* * *

 **Chapter Three:**

 **Helping a Friend**

The next day, they were now miles ahead of the valley, and soon they would enter the Fire Realm. They hadn't made much of dent in their water supply, which they were doing their best to preserve because of the possible lack of water on the way. That assumption had been correct, as they had not found another river or stream since.

The realization they were now farther ahead made Cynder almost smile, because that meant she was now one step closer to the castle and Spyro.

Not only that, but she would be able to find Gaul and destroy him. She'd been wanting that chance ever since Spyro had freed her. She could also find the missing Skylanders, and once they were together, then they would not fail.

"I'm seeing something a little ahead of us," Hex said. "It could easily be the ash clouds that signify the Fire Realm's starting point, but I'm not sure."

"Should I go forward and check?" Cynder asked.

"No, those ash clouds could possibly choke you if you get too close," Hex told her. "I had a friend who was a Wyvern, and he tried to go upward while we were in the Fire Realm about five years ago. He was up there about six minutes, and when he came back down, he was sick, coughing and sputtering because of the toxins that had entered his body. We brought him to a healer a little farther away, but he died two days later." She looked to Cynder. "I don't want that to happen to you."

Cynder nodded. "Got it." She thought about Hex's words. "What were you doing there in the Fire Realm?"

"We were hired by a group of Hyenas that resided there to take on a group of creatures known as the Earthshapers. Have you ever heard of them?"

"Yes. Spyro faced a good number of them during his first travels to both Avalar and the Forgotten Realms," Cynder said. "He said they weren't so difficult to go up against when there was lava around, but while he was in the Realm of Fractured Hills, there in the Homeworld of Autumn Plains—where we also spent our honeymoon—there was a group that were nowhere near the lava. He had to take them on with the help of Hunter, who shot them with his arrows, followed by Spyro using his headbash move."

"Arrows can harm Earthshapers?" Kelyse said. "I didn't know that. I mean, we sent special arrows containing explosives at them, but we never thought just a common one could deal damage."

"They didn't do much," Cynder said. "They were only enough to knock them down and allow Spyro to end them. When he saw them again, it was in the Haunted Tomb in the Forgotten Realms, as well as a few other places. They kept throwing explosives at him, which actually made it easier for Spyro to destroy them. If we have to face them yet again, then it won't take too long."

"I agree," Hex said.

The sun's warmth was beginning to make Cynder sweat. Having body heat made her realize what of the others had to go through. That was a reason she didn't take it for granted. At the same time, she was extremely glad she didn't have to feel extremely cold some nights.

"Are there any other species that we might find in the Fire Realm besides these Hyenas and Earthshapers?" Kelyse asked.

"Loads," Cynder said. "Fire Golems—which I am sick of—Fire Wraiths, and even Phoenixes, though the lattermost are the most rare. Sunburn remains the only creature I have ever known that possesses Phoenix blood in him."

"Do you think we'll find Sunburn in there?"

"That's my hope. I hope to find Sonic Boom alongside him, because they're supposed to be together. When we had our lifemate ceremonies, we vowed we would not leave the sides of those we pledged to spend the rest of our lives with. The fact we're all spread out still horrifies me."

"I have an idea of what Gaul did, but I am still uncertain," Hex announced. "I would need more proof before I can explain it to you, and once I have that proof, I will need time to try and figure out how I can explain it to you."

 _I have my own ideas, too,_ Cynder thought. _Gaul's smarter than his brute strength makes him look. I've seen many creatures like him, and almost all of them were stupid. They had trouble understanding even the simplest of concepts. But not Gaul. This Demon Ape has been crafty for as long as I've known him. The fact he was able to hide from us for so long after Spyro freed me and after the deaths of both Malefor and Aemus proves his craftiness. We're not dealing with just some common enemy. If we're not careful, then we'll start thinking about this all wrong. We need to be ready._

"The sun's higher in the sky," Hex said. "You might say that's only because it's later in the day, and you'd be right. But it also lets us know how close we are to the Fire Realm."

"How's that?" Kelyse said.

"Because the sun will become darker and darker the nearer we come," Hex answered. "That's how the ash of the Realm works. At times, it makes it even look like the sun's in an eternal eclipse. When the sun looks like it has turned a black or a bright white color rather than the common yellow, yellow-orange, or white colors, then you'll know how close we really are."

"Good to hear," Cynder said. "Just keep your eyes out. It's not just the other Skylanders that are missing, but also Cali, Flynn, Hugo, Nestor, Daniel, Titan, Hunter, and Elora. We know why we need the first three due to their respective skills, but the others are needed, too. They are high priorities because of the extra skills they'll bring to our group. Without Nestor, we might not be able to come up with our plans to surprise Gaul. Plus, Hunter and Titan can fight extremely well."

"What about Daniel and Elora?" Hex inquired.

"Elora's able to heal, like Cali," Kelyse replied. "I saw her heal Nestor after Belenus and I were forced to wound him by Roarke." There was a quick beat after she mentioned Belenus's name. But she continued after a moment without any sign that she had felt any pain because of the mention of her now-deceased brother. "And Daniel…I'm not completely sure what he's best at, but he is Nestor's son, and I will not try to say anything bad about him. He might surprise us in the future."

"Yes," Cynder said, nodding her head in agreement. "Daniel doesn't bring much in skill, but he is Nestor's son nonetheless, and there is no reason for him to be separated from his father when he doesn't have to be. We'll have to find them all, and when we've done that, then all will be right."

Hex opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by a sound that Cynder automatically recognized.

She wasn't sure why she recognized it at first, but that wasn't what mattered. Once she saw the sound's source, then she would know.

It was a screech.

A screech that didn't hurt her ears, but she guessed that if she was in close proximity to it, then it would be one of the most painful sounds she would ever have to deal with.

"Cynder?" Hex said. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes."

She looked around, trying to locate the source. She soon found that it couldn't be here on the ground, as there was no sign. In fact, the sound itself had gone away. This made her realize it had to be up in the air.

Looking up, she heard the screech again.

But it wasn't above her.

It was just to the north, exactly the direction they were going in.

"What is it?" Kelyse demanded. She had her blade she had used in the cult and even during their escape in her hands, obviously ready to take on the creature making that noise.

"I know it, but…it can't be," Cynder said. "There's no way she can be here."

"What are you talking about?" Kelyse's eyes had become wide, and Cynder looked over to see there was even a small bit of fear present. "What is it?"

"I think it is her, Cyn," Hex said. "As much as I don't want to admit it, we can't deny it."

A shadow passed over them, and soon enough, something crashed into the ground from above, a cloud of dust rising into the air just behind Cynder.

She whirled around and saw someone she had not expected to see:

Sonic Boom.

But it wasn't the same Griffiness that had become her best friend and one of her most loyal companions over the nearly four years they had known each other.

Her emerald eyes had become a bright, white color, with only a tinge of emerald present. Her black feathers had not changed much, but now they looked more like the feathers of a raven, with a blue hue appearing. Her feet and beak had turned a black color, and her claws had become the same pure white as her eyes.

"Oh my God," Cynder said beneath her breath.

"What's happened to her?" Kelyse said.

"Gaul corrupted her," Cynder answered. "This must be what he did when he caused all the Skylanders to go missing: they've all become corrupted versions of their former selves."

"But why would he do that?" Kelyse said.

"To get back at me," Cynder said.

"For getting freed from the Dark Master's corruption? That doesn't make much sense to me!"

"It made sense to Aemus, though, and I'm guessing it makes sense in some way to Gaul," Cynder said. "We need to take Sonic Boom down and make her realize who she really is. This isn't my best friend, but an impostor. She's still herself deep down, so try not to hurt her. If we hit her really hard in the head, then I think it'll be over."

"A hard hit to the head? But won't that really hurt her anyway?" Kelyse was looking at Cynder now with a bewildered expression.

"Maybe," Cynder said. "But if I'm going to get my best friend back, then that might be the only way to do it. We have to take all the chances we can."

The corrupted form of Sonic Boom opened her wings and lunged at Cynder, who dodged. While the Griffiness tried to slash at her, Cynder was quicker and jumped back before the claws could meet their mark.

"How are we going to do this? She looks stronger than before!" Hex exclaimed.

"No, she's not," Cynder said. "I just dodged out of the way with ease. I haven't done something like that since we last trained. That was many months ago, even before Malefor kidnapped me. But when we sparred, she tried a similar move. She never meant to hurt me then, but even while she is now, it doesn't matter. I just dodged the same way I did then. I think we can take her. It'll just take some skill."

As they spoke, Sonic Boom tried to hit Cynder again, but once more, it was to no avail. As she threw herself at Cynder, the Black Dragoness used her Shadow Dash and moved closer to where Hex and Kelyse stood, seriously confusing Sonic Boom.

The idea that Gaul had corrupted the greatest friend Cynder had ever known brought even greater anger into her body. She knew now that she would have to do all she could to kill him for this.

"We'll have to move in unison," Cynder told Hex and Kelyse. "If she's going to lunge at us like that during the entirety of the fight, then this will be a snap. But if she tries to take flight, then it might end up being a little harder. We'll have to wait and see. Hex, you should go first. I know a way I can get her back, but if I see you do what you can, then I can understand my plan a little better and learn whether or not it'll work."

Hex nodded and said, "I just hope we get her back soon."

She floated forward and looked the Griffiness in the eyes as the latter turned around, having realized she had been tricked.

Hex did not understand how Gaul could have done something so horrible to someone so beautiful.

But then again, she realized Gaul had been one of those who had corrupted Cynder, and she decided that, if he could do that, then he could have a hand in this without any hesitation on his part.

"Sonic Boon, I know this isn't you," she said. "You need to snap out of it! You need to remember who you are and what you are meant for!"

The Griffiness unleashed her sonic scream, and Hex just waited for it to hit her.

Out of her peripheral, she could see Cynder and Kelyse getting to a safe spot while the ear-splitting attack passed where they had stood just moments before.

Sonic Boom noticed their movements, but Hex noticed what she was doing, as well, and she stopped her before she could go after them.

With a quick blast of violet-colored energy, Hex had knocked Sonic Boom back. The Captain of the Air Element hit the ground, and for a moment, lay on her side.

While Hex waited for her to stand again, Kelyse came running into the battle.

"I'll take it from here," she volunteered. "If what Cynder said is correct, then we should be able to take her down very soon."

Hex nodded. "Okay," she conceded. "Just be careful. I'll be ready to help."

Kelyse jumped onto a rock near where Sonic Boom lay and waited for her to finally prepare another attack. As Sonic Boom stood and performed another sonic blast, Kelyse jumped from the rock and retrieved her blade.

She sliced several times, and one of them seemed to connect, causing Sonic Boom to screech in pain.

"What is she doing?!" Hex gasped as she beheld this. She started floating to where Kelyse stood, but Cynder stopped her. "Why are you stopping me? She just harmed Sonic Boom!"

"No, she didn't," Cynder said. "It's a clever move sparring partners have used for years. We don't always have to use Magic to make it look as though something we've done is real. It surely helps, like in our final battle against Malefor and our fight against Karis, but I wanted to see how good she was about doing it here."

Sonic Boom seemed to realize, even in her corrupted form, that the wound she'd believed she'd received was fake, and she growled at Kelyse. Outstretching her claws, Sonic Boom sliced them through the air.

They would have hit Kelyse had Cynder not breathed a crackling current of Electricity at her best friend.

It didn't hit her, but it was enough to blind her.

Kelyse jumped back, and Cynder jumped in.

 _She's corrupted, which is one of Gaul's greatest crimes,_ she thought. _He definitely did this to spite me. Not only me, of course, but also Spyro. Part of me wonders why I wasn't corrupted by Gaul's Dark Magic, but now is not the time to dwell on that. Now is the time to stick it to the so-called 'Ape King' and let him know not to keep screwing with me!_

When the blinding current had dissipated, it took Sonic Boom a minute or two to realize continue her previous attack.

"This isn't you," Cynder said. "There is something wrong with you, and you I both know it. You are not a corrupted monster. Gaul has done this to you to try and mess with all of us. I believe that, if he has done this to you, then he has done the same to all the missing Skylanders. You're the first one we've encountered since regrouping, and so we're not sure about that theory. But it doesn't matter. If I can save you, then I can save the others."

Sonic Boom screamed at her, and while it wasn't the sonic scream, Cynder still dodged as a force of habit. Her sparring sessions with Sonic Boom had been very similar to this. Throughout those, there had been no sign as to who would win. Their records were always very close. In the end, Cynder had come out on top the most, with three wins over five matches, but Sonic Boom had still managed to win the other two, proving to Cynder she was a good fighter.

"I'm not giving up on you."

A flurry of slashes, kicks, and even bites followed the end of those six words. Cynder flipped back and waited for Sonic Boom to notice her again. She could see that with each acrobatic move she performed, Sonic Boom could not follow her.

 _It's almost like her corruption is faulty in that kind of way. She can't follow exactly what I am doing. This gives me an advantage, and with this advantage I can defeat her. I'll allow Hex and Kelyse to have a hand in defeating her, too, but I need to be the one to strike the final blow._

She relayed the information to them, and both were onboard with the idea almost immediately. The only thing Hex and Kelyse wanted more than getting Sonic Boom back was for the Griffiness to be unharmed.

"You need to snap out of this, now!" Cynder commanded her. "I don't care what kind of hold Gaul has on you. I know you can get past it."

She reached into Sonic Boom's mind with hers.

 _You need to remember who you are. You need to remember that Sunburn is your mate, and that you are a Skylander. You have sworn to protect Skylands. Not only that, but you are my best friend, and I would do anything for you. In fact, I nearly have. Remember that._

Hex prepared herself. She had to ensure this part of the plan worked, and that she did it without causing injury. She would never be able to forgive herself if she hurt a friend of hers, especially one that had been so accepting of her when she was recruited to become part of the current incarnation of the Skylanders.

She saw Cynder doing something with Sonic Boom, but it wasn't long before she moved away from where she stood and returned to her spot near Kelyse.

Hex reached into Sonic Boom's mind, believing that was what Cynder had been doing, and tried to find the good that was still within her. She knew those who were corrupted were not truly gone. She had seen that most of all with Cynder, but from what Spyro and Sunburn had told her a while back, it had been the same with Vathek. If this was the case with them, then she believed it would be the same with Sonic Boom here and now.

"Do not let Gaul control you," Hex said. Sonic Boom lunged at her, but Hex created a forcefield that stopped the Griffiness from wounding her. "Corruption is a horrible thing. The truth is that I have been corrupted in some way. When I was forced by Malefor to join the ranks of the Undead because of what it took to overcome him, I learned how corruption could almost control you. But I was able to overcome it, just as I pray that you will. You are stronger than you know, Sonic Boom. Remember that. The truth will set you free."

As Sonic Boom tried to attack her again, Hex released her power and let the forcefield disappear. She teleported back to Cynder, while Kelyse jumped back into the heat of battle. She prepared her blade, wondering if she could use it to destroy the connection between the corruption and Sonic Boom. If that were the case, then this fight would be over very soon, and everything would be right.

 _Well, not everything,_ she thought.

A flash of claws, a screech from the beak.

Kelyse was not hit by the first of those attacks, but the screech was enough to almost bring her to her knees. Back where Cynder and Hex watched, Hex was ready to get back into the battle.

"Don't," Cynder told her.

"Why?" Hex asked. "If we don't do something, Sonic Boom might kill her!"

"She won't," Cynder said. "I was able to show her something that will stop her from succeeding in that."

"What did you show her?"

"Something good. I also found Gaul's influence. That, and something else that I can't explain."

As they spoke, Kelyse was able to get away from the screech, return to her feet, and attack Sonic Boom. Her first attack was a quick kick, which the Griffiness dodged with ease. This did not surprise Kelyse, as she wasn't really meaning to cause her friend and ally harm.

Before Kelyse could continue, Cynder appeared at her side. The Black Dragoness looked at her, and from the expression she gave her, Kelyse knew it was time for her to step back and allow Cynder to take over from here. She ran back to Hex and watched, praying that all would be well when this was finally over.

"You are a nuisance," Sonic Boom said, and Cynder's eyes widened as she heard her speak. Due to the corruption, her voice was distorted like Malefor's. "You have stopped my master from completing his quest!"

"Sonic Boom, I know that isn't you talking," Cynder said. "You can deny it if you want, but Gaul has control over you. As much as I hate it, there's only one way I can show you the truth. It'll hurt, but it'll be worth it."

Once more, she forced her mind into Sonic Boom's. While the first time had been to get her thoughts across, this time it was to show her memories that would give her some kind of an idea as to who she truly was.

 _The memory of the day they first met. How they had become great friends almost from the beginning, even despite how Cynder was extremely apprehensive about joining the Skylanders and interacting with others._

 _The day of Spyro and Cynder's lifemate ceremony, where Sonic Boom had been her maid of honor. The smile on her face and tears streaming from her eyes as she viewed Spyro and Cynder exchange their vows and promise to spend the rest of their lives with one another._

 _The day Cynder had come to save her from Aemus, despite the fact she could barely handle the cold weather around her old fortress because of her lack of body heat at the time. How they'd embraced after being reunited. How she had been there for her when Aemus did all he could to hurt her._

 _How she had been there with her throughout her three month-long recovery, especially during her illness. Her placing the cool cloth on Cynder's warm, sweaty forehead and rubbing her back as she attempted to sleep one of the nights._

 _And finally, the day Sonic Boom and Sunburn had had their lifemate ceremony. How Spyro had been Sunburn's best man and Cynder had been Sonic Boom's maid of honor. The tears released by all four of them as Sonic Boom and Sunburn exchanged their vows like Spyro and Cynder, vowing just like them to spend the rest of their lives together._

When it was done, Cynder released the connection and found herself somewhat tired.

She inhaled and exhaled, then looked back at Sonic Boom.

Much to her shock, Sonic Boom looked right at her just as her eyes widened, and a moment later, the shroud of darkness covering her disappeared, leaving behind only her best friend.

Sonic Boom looked like she was about to collapse.

Before she could, Cynder hugged her tightly around the neck.

She felt Sonic Boom hug her back.

When she broke away from the embrace, she looked Sonic Boom in the eyes and said, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, but…" She looked around. "I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"

"No," Cynder answered. "You might have hurt a few eardrums, but other than that, we're all unharmed." She looked behind her to Hex and Kelyse, who were both happy to see Sonic Boom back to usual.

"Wait," Sonic Boom said, "where are the other Skylanders? Sunburn, Spyro, Flashwing, Drobot, Camo, and Whirlwind? What happened?"

"I'll explain it soon," Cynder said, placing her right paw on Sonic Boom's left shoulder. "But we need to get moving. We're currently on our way to the Fire Realm. We hope to find Sunburn and some of the other Skylanders and other allies there."

Sonic Boom nodded. She looked Cynder over and seemed to notice the scars on her left flank, given that her emerald eyes widened. "What happened to you?" she gasped.

"A Woodland Devil caught me off-guard," Cynder replied. "I'll explain it once we find somewhere to camp."

The two of them walked back to Hex and Kelyse. "It's good to see you back to yourself," Hex said.

"It feels good to be back," Sonic Boom said as they began walking. "I just don't fully understand what I've experienced. All I can remember right now is us destroying the Fire Golem. Then everything went black, and…well, here I am. And here you are. It's weird."

"I'm sure," Kelyse said. "I don't know what it feels like, of course, but I can't imagine the toll it's probably taken on you."

Sonic Boom nodded. "I'm feeling tired, but that's all I can really say," she said.

After this, the four of them became silent for a long while. Cynder looked around for a place to set up camp. As they passed a plateau, she pointed it out to Hex.

"That looks like a good place as any," Hex said. "We probably won't find another location like it."

They started their climb up to the plateau, and Cynder found that her feet were beginning to hurt because of the long walks within the last two days.

She even felt the scars on her flank beginning to burn.

Once they had reached the top, Kelyse said, "I think I'm going to go find wood so we can have a fire."

"Isn't it a little warm for a fire?" Sonic Boom said.

"Maybe, but it adds to the moment," Kelyse said.

Then she was gone, leaving the three of them together. Hex then looked at Cynder and said, "I'm going to go and help her."

This left Cynder and Sonic Boom alone. At the moment, Cynder did not feel like speaking, instead feeling like she needed to time to think over what she had just experienced.

 _Gaul has corrupted the Skylanders. This isn't good at all. I just hope he hasn't done the same to Spyro. I don't think he has, since he left with him. But then again, I know Gaul, and he'll do anything to get back at me for leaving Malefor's side._

Not long after this, Hex and Kelyse reappeared with wood, which they placed in the middle of the stone plateau.

They readied the wood by arranging it into a pile. Once that was done, Cynder came over and breathed her Electricity onto it.

A small fire appeared, and the four of them sat down around it.

"I still don't understand what's happening," Sonic Boom said. "There are only three of you here? How is that possible? What happened to everyone else? And why was I in some different state for a while?"

"I know you have a lot of questions, and I'm going to try and answer them as well as I can," Cynder said. "Well, _we_ are going to try to answer them as well as we can. It won't be easy, but I think it'll be enough." She cleared her throat and then began.

"You remember the Fire Golem we all were forced to fight at our camp after we brought the entire cult down, right? After we killed Karis?" Sonic Boom nodded. "I don't know what exactly happened, but after we destroyed it, there was a flash of light—which seems to happen almost every time we fight a major enemy—and when it cleared, Spyro and I found we were the only ones still there. All of you had gone missing, and I still don't know how. Just as Spyro and I began discussing it, Gaul appeared and Spyro and I tried to fight him. Our exhaustion as a result of the battles we went through that night allowed Gaul to gain the upper hand, and he was able to knock me away. Spyro tried to defend me, but Gaul grabbed ahold of him. Spyro kept trying to get free, but to no avail. Then Gaul did this whole, long monologue before suddenly disappearing into a portal similar to the one from which he had appeared." She saw Sonic Boom's shocked expression, which made her feel some sorrow at the fact she had been unable to stop Gaul from escaping. She continued despite this. "I went unconscious because of my pain. When I woke, I found myself still where I had been. There was a Woodland Devil not too far from where I lay, and as I started getting up, it attacked. I was able to kill it, but not before I was caught off-guard by an explosion that allowed the thing to claw my flank. Hex healed it as well as she could, but I think we'll have to find Cali to help me out a little more. Anyway, I came a little further after that and found Hex and Kelyse in a cave."

"How did you two end up in that cave, though?" Sonic Boom inquired.

"We're not sure," Hex said. "We woke near one another, and once we found each other made sure we were…who we were, we tried to find a place to wait for anyone else in our vicinity. Cynder was the only one, though. After she came and we allowed her to sleep for a few hours, we started on our way to the Fire Realm. That part of this quest started yesterday."

"What do you mean by that one part? Making sure that you knew who you were?"

"We know there's the chance that Gaul or another of his allies could somehow make someone resemble another person we know, and we didn't want to take that chance," Kelyse answered. "At least, that was how Hex explained it to me. Does that sound about right, Hex?"

"Yes," Hex said. "It doesn't take much, though. There are questions that will catch an impostor off-guard, but I could also tell I didn't need to do that too much with Cynder and Kelyse. I've known Cynder for so long now, as well as you, that I can tell almost in an instant. As for Kelyse, I have an idea that Gaul didn't really know who she was, which would explain why she wasn't corrupted."

"That's what we think Gaul's current plan is," Cynder added. "We believe that, after the others disappeared, he found a way to corrupt them. The only way I can see that happening is through Malefor's energy. I don't know how much more of that stuff can still be around, though, now that he's dead." Cynder sighed and shook her head. "Then again, maybe that isn't what it takes to corrupt someone. But the Skylanders…it just seems impossible for him to have done so with all of them." She rubbed the right side of her head with her paw. "I think trying to figure everything out is starting to give me a headache."

"So, what are we going to do now?" Sonic Boom said. "We're going to have to save them, aren't we?"

"We are," Cynder said. "We have a plan, too. Nestor told us that Gaul had taken control of the Haven Realms, and while we know where that is, we can't just take a direct route to them. Gaul will be watching us, and Hex even has a hunch that he has spies somewhere that could be watching us even now."

"But how is that possible?" It was Kelyse who was now asking the question.

"He might have cast a spell on you, Cynder, that is allowing him to keep an eye on you," Hex said. "But I know a way to get rid of it, and even if he was trying to do it now, I have protection in the form of Magic that will be stopping it from coming back to him. It's an interesting thing, but it would take too long to explain."

"Yes, well, moving away from that," Cynder continued, "we're going to have to go through the Elemental Realms, finding shortcuts while still doing all we can to locate the other Skylanders and any other allies that can help us in our battle against Gaul and his forces. The first is the Fire Realm, and as I said before, we believe Sunburn is there."

"Thank God," Sonic Boom breathed.

"He might be corrupted, so you need to be careful," Cynder warned her. "I hate saying it, but it is the truth. So, tread carefully."

"I get that." She looked around them before finally looking Cynder in the eyes. "My entire family is in the Air Realm."

"That's great," Cynder said, a smile forming on her face. But she noticed Sonic Boom was not very happy. "Why isn't that good?"

"It is, but…they haven't seen me in years." Sonic Boom swallowed. "Not since…" Her voice trailed off and a few tears formed in her emerald eyes. Cynder automatically understood what she was meaning.

Sonic Boom had become infertile after a Wizard who had been hunting her cast a spell on her just as she killed him.

She had held this back from many, including Sunburn, until Cynder had come to save her. When she had reunited with her mate, she'd revealed it to him. Despite her fears that he would leave her because of it, he'd accepted the revelation and explained that he loved her no matter what.

"Well, I'm sure they'll be happy to see you again," Kelyse said. "I think I'm going to lie down and try to get some sleep before our early start tomorrow."

"I'll keep watch, don't worry," Hex told them.

Kelyse stood and walked away from the group, finding a little area in the back of the plateau where could curl up and start her attempt to sleep.

Hex then floated a little ways away. After this, Sonic Boom looked back to Cynder.

"It's hard for you, isn't it?" she asked.

"What?" Cynder said.

"You know what I'm talking about."

Cynder sighed. "Yeah, it's not easy at all. I want him here at this fire, by my side, helping me to sleep. I'm not sure how easy this will be without him. I've done several missions without him being in the majority of it, but those have always been some of the hardest missions I've experienced."

"At least you have me," Sonic Boom said. She smiled at Cynder, who was able to smile back. "I know things are hard for you, but just remember that you have friends who will stand with you every step of the way."

"I know," Cynder said. "When we find the others, I'll be even happier. But at least I have you with me. You are my best friend, so that makes things a lot easier."

The two hugged. As she hugged Sonic Boom, Cynder couldn't help but yawn.

"I think I'm starting to feel tired," she announced.

"Maybe me being here with you will help you to sleep," Sonic Boom said. "It'll help to fill in the gap left by Gaul. That's one reason I can't wait to end him for."

 _She has the right idea,_ Cynder thought. _We're here for each other, and so long as that's the case, we can try to ensure our lack of mates isn't felt too much._

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Cynder asked her. "As someone who truly knows what it's like to be corrupted, I have an idea of the side-effects that come with it."

"I'm feeling okay," Sonic Boom answered. "I have a slight headache, which I'm guessing is one of those side-effects you mentioned, but other than that, I'm good. Sleep will probably help me through that, don't you think?"

"I do."

Cynder blew out the fire, then placed her head on Sonic Boom's chest. She yawned, and within the next few minutes, Sonic Boom noticed that she had fallen asleep completely.

Looking down at the greatest friend she had ever had, Sonic Boom felt some remorse for the fact they'd been forced to battle each other. While there had been no injuries dealt by any of them to one another, she still felt pain in her heart at the notion that they had fought in any way at all.

"Sonic Boom, are you okay?" Hex softly asked as she floated back over.

"I don't know," she admitted. "Today's one of those days I hope never happens again. The idea that I had to fight you three is one that makes me feel pain. Even if it isn't physical, it still hurts."

"I understand. There's not a day that goes by where I wonder if I should have run from the battle with Malefor that resulted in me becoming who I now am. If I hadn't, then there's a good possibility I would never have met any of you. But if I had run, then I wouldn't have to deal with this ever again."

Silence filled the air around them. The only sounds Sonic Boom could hear was the wind and a few animal noises that she could not identify.

"I think that's just how life brings us together," she said after a while. "In truth, had that Wizard not done that awful thing to me, then I might not have met any of you, either. I hate what he did to me, but I can't deny that, in some way, it changed my life for the better." She looked down at Cynder. "I might never have met my best friend, or my mate. The best way to sum it up is that the world works in mysterious ways, and like it or not, there is no way to know what it'll throw at you next."

When she had finished, Sonic Boom realized just how exhausted she was, and she decided it was best if she slept, as well. She told this to Hex, who merely nodded and floated away.

Looking back down at Cynder, she smiled, then laid her head down and closed her eyes.

While she had thought at first that she would be forced to deal with her thoughts of the day's events keeping her up, exhaustion took her over, and before she knew it, she was sound asleep.

Looking over at Cynder and Sonic Boom, Hex smiled to herself and continued to keep watch until morning came.


End file.
